Cricket in Dubai? When I first heard of the phenomenon, I had visions of Bedouins on camel-back trying to turn chinamen upon the desert sands, and scorecards bearing the regular notation "dust storm stopped play". Enlightenment soon followed, however: I learned about the Air-India Sports Club, the Dubai cricket development programme, and the "subkha grounds" with their sand outfields. Not to mention, of course, the famous stadium in next-door Sharjah, and the stunning performance of the United Arab Emirates team in the ICC trophy. Now Abu Dhabi has followed, even staging Test matches as a "home ground" for Pakistan.

So cricket in Dubai is no trifling matter. And that is increasingly true in many of the game's less likely outposts around the world. In the course of a peripatetic life I learned not only that Italians and Israelis played cricket, but ended up playing the game myself in two less likely countries, Singapore and Switzerland.

If ever Singapore gets around to nominating a national sport, you can be pretty sure it won't be cricket. Most Singaporeans appear to believe that the term applies either to a noisy insect or a trademark cigarette-lighter. So the fact that, during my years there, I would dress up every Sunday like a poor relation of the Great Gatsby and venture hopefully into the drizzle clutching my bat invariably mystified my Singaporean friends. Bats, of course, they associated more with vampires than umpires. And the notion that anyone would spend the best part of his Sunday on an uneven field in undignified pursuit of five-and-a-half ounces of cork provoked widespread disbelief. "You mean they still play cricket here?" exclaimed one Singaporean. "I thought that ended with the Japanese occupation!"

In fact there were 20 teams in the two Sunday Leagues run by the Singapore Cricket Association when I was there in the early 1980s, and innumerable others playing "friendly" matches on Saturdays. They ranged from the sometimes plebeian Patricians to the tavernless Tanglin Taverners, from Non-Benders who chased every ball to Schoolboys who didn't, and from the two teams of the elite Singapore Cricket Club to the more esoteric acronyms of SAFSA and SPASA (known to the initiated as the Armed Forces and the Polytechnic respectively).

"I do not play cricket," Oscar Wilde once wrote, "because it requires me to assume such indecent postures." Most Singaporeans, a notoriously serious and straitlaced breed whose recreations are golf and economic growth, appeared to share his disdain. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who described cricket as "organised loafing" and the Nobel Prize-winning author who termed cricketers "flannelled fools" would have felt right at home in Singapore.

Many a local utilitarian with the national devotion to statistics pointed out to me that cricket simply wasn't cost-efficient enough. The amount of space and time it took to give 22 players a game could, I was reliably informed, be more productively allocated to 100 squash players, 200 swimmers or 300 joggers. When I responded that 88 cricketers could have more fun and exercise in the space taken up by the prime minister's daily game of golf, the silence that greeted me could have made central air-conditioning obsolete.

Of course, neither Singaporeans nor Swiss, law-abiding citizens to a fault, can be expected to approve of any sport based on the principle of hit-and-run. So expatriates tend to dominate the game in both countries.

But cricket has a surprisingly long pedigree in Switzerland. The Geneva Cricket Club's wine label (yes, they are a rather refined lot, these Swiss cricketers) bears an illustration of a cricket match being played on the city's Plainpalais field in 1817. Nearly two centuries later, the game continues to flourish in Geneva, having survived interruptions during the two World Wars. The present Geneva Cricket Club (GCC), revived in 1955, plays in a well-equipped stadium that offers underground parking to sportsmen and the luxury of bowling (and fielding) on Astroturf.

The environs of this international city also house the cricketers of CERN, the Centre Européen de la Récherche Nucléaire, where a hefty six might dent the casing of the world's biggest proton synchrotron accelerator. An amiable lot, the CERN cricketers tend to be at their best during the expansive tea breaks for which they (and their gifted if long-suffering spouses) are deservingly famous. (I played for them for three years, and apart from consuming more calories than I expended, I am pleased to report that for years I featured in atleastthree places in the club records, which they had helpfully posted on the internet.

There is also an assortment of teams from the other major cities - Basel, Bern, Winterthur, Zug and of course Zurich, which supports not one but two Sri Lankan XIs, who are not on speaking terms with each other. The Swiss teams are organised in an annual competition for the 40-over Brennan Cup, named for the former Australian ambassador who donated it, and they even boast an annual journal, named - what else? - Swissden.

Though neither the climate nor the quality of the cricket comes close to the ideal that every good Swiss would wish to aspire to, cricket in Switzerland - a country of diplomatic conferences - has found its own place in the scheme of international exchange. Here, British-educated Swiss returning from South Africa (and a few South African émigrés) field alongside Indians, both east and West; Pakistani and Sri Lankan refugees shatter the stumps of Indian diplomats and United Nations officials; irrelevant Pommies hit sixes off irreverent Antipodeans. And they all retire to their convivial beers at the end of the game. Even if, in most cases, they don't have a pavilion to drink them in.

It may be a long while before cricket acquires the global following of soccer or even tennis, but thanks to the mobility of modern labour and the passion for the game shown by its émigrés, the game is spreading around the world. And in our post-colonial times, it is doing so far more successfully than during the days of the Empire that invented the game.

Shashi Tharoor is an Indian MP and a former United Nations Under-Secretary General

Great article! I play cricket in Singapore. Apart from the fact that the number of division in the Singapore League has gone up to 6 (owing to the large number of foreigners here), there has been no other changes. But we Indians just can't make do without a Sunday of cricket!

Dinesh
on May 23, 2011, 22:15 GMT

@Jairam - it is but understandable. The same fate can be observed with cricket in the US too. People ask if cricket can become a success here. It depends on what you mean by success - if it means you need to teach more people about the game - then yes. If you mean if this will be accepted as a mainstream sport - then I say there's no chance.

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 20:58 GMT

When a politician-diplomat writes on cricket, thats what it will look like. Heartening to hear that cricket is developing fast in many other countries. But it remains to be seen how far those nations will be willing spend that extra time for cricket which no other sport demands. Does the long duration of the game play spoilsport?

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 16:42 GMT

The other (and more endearing) part of Mr Tharoor's association with cricket.

Deepak
on May 23, 2011, 16:05 GMT

Interesting article. Couple of lines are funny too.

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 15:15 GMT

The number of teams has increased by leaps and bounds with the influx (second wave) from the sub-continent, but most Singaporeans remain unimpressed.

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 14:31 GMT

I've had the chance to personally see some of the matches of the club called 'Nomads' in Zurich. It has got a fair share of Indians, most of whom are software professionals (being one of them, I tried my hand too but couldn't make the cut) working with the banks. The most amazing thing that I witnessed was how well the people from subcontinents gel with each other outside their respective countries!

Nick
on May 23, 2011, 12:59 GMT

Also - the Zouz ground looks absolutely gorgeous!

Nick
on May 23, 2011, 12:52 GMT

Lovely article - your love of the game shines through every paragraph.

Cameron
on May 25, 2011, 3:11 GMT

Great article. Thank you so much.

Dummy4
on May 24, 2011, 7:54 GMT

Great article! I play cricket in Singapore. Apart from the fact that the number of division in the Singapore League has gone up to 6 (owing to the large number of foreigners here), there has been no other changes. But we Indians just can't make do without a Sunday of cricket!

Dinesh
on May 23, 2011, 22:15 GMT

@Jairam - it is but understandable. The same fate can be observed with cricket in the US too. People ask if cricket can become a success here. It depends on what you mean by success - if it means you need to teach more people about the game - then yes. If you mean if this will be accepted as a mainstream sport - then I say there's no chance.

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 20:58 GMT

When a politician-diplomat writes on cricket, thats what it will look like. Heartening to hear that cricket is developing fast in many other countries. But it remains to be seen how far those nations will be willing spend that extra time for cricket which no other sport demands. Does the long duration of the game play spoilsport?

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 16:42 GMT

The other (and more endearing) part of Mr Tharoor's association with cricket.

Deepak
on May 23, 2011, 16:05 GMT

Interesting article. Couple of lines are funny too.

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 15:15 GMT

The number of teams has increased by leaps and bounds with the influx (second wave) from the sub-continent, but most Singaporeans remain unimpressed.

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 14:31 GMT

I've had the chance to personally see some of the matches of the club called 'Nomads' in Zurich. It has got a fair share of Indians, most of whom are software professionals (being one of them, I tried my hand too but couldn't make the cut) working with the banks. The most amazing thing that I witnessed was how well the people from subcontinents gel with each other outside their respective countries!

Nick
on May 23, 2011, 12:59 GMT

Also - the Zouz ground looks absolutely gorgeous!

Nick
on May 23, 2011, 12:52 GMT

Lovely article - your love of the game shines through every paragraph.

Big
on May 23, 2011, 11:55 GMT

Hmmm, Politics and Cricket a lethal mix for any person. Its nice to see you write a good article, hopefully you can keep your cricket interest clear of your political intentions.

Girik
on May 23, 2011, 10:12 GMT

Great article. Interestingly, cricket is already a number one or number two sport in many countries around the world which don't have Test status. Many of these countries are either too small or too poor for the game to advance further but the passion is there. It is the national sport of Bermuda (who have played in one WC), it is the second most popular sport after rugby league in Papua New Guinea, it is incredibly popular as a pastime in New Caledonia and other Pacific Islands (though it has modified to adapt to local culture in some cases such as Kilikiti in Samoa) and it is the de fact national sport of Nepal (subcontinental influence obviously). In the case of small countries at least, one suggestion can be to do another West Indies like team (Say East Africa again and Pacific Islands). Yes national boundaries are a hurdle but you would just need to create regional patriotism, something which is taking place naturally around the world now (EU, ASEAN for example)

Siddharth
on May 23, 2011, 6:42 GMT

Cricket is best sport..and irish will do well to promote further,even american irish will do..

Hew
on May 23, 2011, 6:36 GMT

Great article, top marks! Concur 100% with the comments of kriskingle.

krishnaKarthik
on May 23, 2011, 5:59 GMT

Delightful !!! One of the best on Cricinfo in a long time!!!

No featured comments at the moment.

krishnaKarthik
on May 23, 2011, 5:59 GMT

Delightful !!! One of the best on Cricinfo in a long time!!!

Hew
on May 23, 2011, 6:36 GMT

Great article, top marks! Concur 100% with the comments of kriskingle.

Siddharth
on May 23, 2011, 6:42 GMT

Cricket is best sport..and irish will do well to promote further,even american irish will do..

Girik
on May 23, 2011, 10:12 GMT

Great article. Interestingly, cricket is already a number one or number two sport in many countries around the world which don't have Test status. Many of these countries are either too small or too poor for the game to advance further but the passion is there. It is the national sport of Bermuda (who have played in one WC), it is the second most popular sport after rugby league in Papua New Guinea, it is incredibly popular as a pastime in New Caledonia and other Pacific Islands (though it has modified to adapt to local culture in some cases such as Kilikiti in Samoa) and it is the de fact national sport of Nepal (subcontinental influence obviously). In the case of small countries at least, one suggestion can be to do another West Indies like team (Say East Africa again and Pacific Islands). Yes national boundaries are a hurdle but you would just need to create regional patriotism, something which is taking place naturally around the world now (EU, ASEAN for example)

Big
on May 23, 2011, 11:55 GMT

Hmmm, Politics and Cricket a lethal mix for any person. Its nice to see you write a good article, hopefully you can keep your cricket interest clear of your political intentions.

Nick
on May 23, 2011, 12:52 GMT

Lovely article - your love of the game shines through every paragraph.

Nick
on May 23, 2011, 12:59 GMT

Also - the Zouz ground looks absolutely gorgeous!

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 14:31 GMT

I've had the chance to personally see some of the matches of the club called 'Nomads' in Zurich. It has got a fair share of Indians, most of whom are software professionals (being one of them, I tried my hand too but couldn't make the cut) working with the banks. The most amazing thing that I witnessed was how well the people from subcontinents gel with each other outside their respective countries!

Dummy4
on May 23, 2011, 15:15 GMT

The number of teams has increased by leaps and bounds with the influx (second wave) from the sub-continent, but most Singaporeans remain unimpressed.

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